Retail TouchPoints Releases 2018 Outlook Guide: 17 Retail Industry Experts Predict Another Year Of Rapid Change

HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, N.J., Jan. 29, 2018 -- Retail TouchPoints (RTP), the industry’s go-to source for customer engagement strategies, has unveiled the 2018 Outlook Guide: Retail Industry Adapts To Rapid Change. While 2017 headlines screamed about a “Retail Apocalypse,” what was actually taking place was a highly accelerated period of retail transformation. These seismic changes — affecting everything from the nature and purpose of brick-and-mortar stores, to how voice shopping, artificial intelligence and even connected cars will change the way consumers shop — will continue to shake the industry in 2018 and beyond.

Retail TouchPoints Releases 2018 Outlook Guide: 17 Retail Industry Experts Predict Another Year Of Rapid Change

Contributors include executives from:

• AArete
• Aeropost
• Bloglovin'
• BRP
• Clientricity
• ERDM
• Forrester
• Fung Global Retail & Technology
• HighStreet Collective
• IDC Retail Insights
• IHL Group
• Location Based Marketing Association
• L2
• PlanetRetail RNG
• Remodista
• Retail Systems Research (RSR)
• SageBerry Consulting

A total of 17 retail industry experts — including well-known consultants, analysts and researchers — provided high-level forecasts as well as practical advice for executives throughout the retail enterprise. Topics include:

• Personalization and customer engagement;
• The growth of the digital store;
• The impact of bots and the Internet of Things (IoT);
• The growing role of artificial intelligence (AI);
• International retailing opportunities; and
• How to effectively leverage influencers.

“As we celebrate the 10^th anniversary of Retail TouchPoints, we’re excited to present informed insights from a group that really knows the retail industry,” said Debbie Hauss, Editor-In-Chief of Retail TouchPoints. “The 2018 Outlook Guide will provide ideas and strategies for retailers’ ability to enhance customer engagement throughout the coming year.”

Trends To Watch In 2018

Several 2018 Outlook Guide contributors identified some of the technologies and topics that will be having the biggest impact on the retail industry this year:

• Right-sizing personalization: “To effectively engage with increasingly over-messaged, frustrated consumers — over 75 million U.S. Internet users will use ad blockers in 2017 — brands must focus on both clearly explaining how they use collected data and what benefits accrue to the customer.” — Evan Neufeld, L2
• Stores need to be rethought to remain relevant: “The store is retailers’ albatross, their Achilles’ heel, their challenge — and their opportunity, if they can find the money and the intestinal fortitude to be bold.” — Nikki Baird, RSR
• Search will increasingly be dominated by voice and images: “Virtual assistants such as Google Now, Cortana and Siri have shortened the path between users and the answers they need. Voice searches now make up to 20% of mobile queries (Google Research). This coupled with image-based search will put new challenges in front of SEO experts.” — Asif Khan, Location Based Marketing Association
• Mixed reality is having its moment: “‘Reality technology,’ a term we use to group together AR, VR and MR (mixed reality), has the potential to disrupt retail by introducing new ways to guide shoppers through their journey. The price of VR devices is expected to come down with shipments continuing to improve in 2018, which will likely lead to higher VR adoption and more in-store retail applications.” — Deborah Weinswig, Fung Global Retail & Technology

The full report reveals all these experts' opinions, insights and predictions about the most urgent issues facing retailers in 2018. Professionals interested in learning more should download the Retail TouchPoints 2018 Outlook Guide: Retail Industry Adapts To Rapid Change to see what insiders expect in the year to come.

About Retail TouchPoints
Retail TouchPoints is an online publishing network for retail executives, with content focused on optimizing the customer experience across all channels. The Retail TouchPoints network is comprised of a weekly e-newsletter, special reports, web seminars, exclusive benchmark research, an insightful editorial blog, and a content-rich web site featuring daily news updates and multi-media interviews at www.retailtouchpoints.com. The Retail TouchPoints team also interacts with social media communities via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Contact:

Sheri Butts
[email protected]
O: 201.257.8528 x248
C: 973.842.7961

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a3462979-3b69-4072-9e29-a8f14ede1440